Florian Idenburg & Jing Liu Pole Dance

Florian Idenburg and Jing Liu of SO-IL (Solid
Objectives), who live and work in Brooklyn, won the Young
Architects' competition sponsored by the Museum of Modern Art and
its Queens affiliate, PS1 Their creation - Pole Dance - opened on
June 27.

Photo: Iwan Baan

How liberating to be an architect these days. Never before have
dominant systems been so frail. If you can avoid hubris and
over-reach, there are compelling, if daunting, spaces waiting to be
explored. Freed from the fascination of the finite, and confronted
with new ecologies, economies, energies, flows, and fantasies, we
can begin to comprehend, and depict, a new image of life on earth,
that of a seemingly elastic cloud. Everything has become
untethered. We bounce about, footloose, on a network of
intersections and knots.

In Pole Dance we continue our exploration of architecture's
potential to create sensorially charged environments rather than
finite forms. We consider the choreography of situations rather
than object making which is essential in the case of a temporary
structure which needs to perform two seemingly contradictory tasks:
calming and carousing. We imagine a participatory environment that
reframes the conceptual relation between humankind and structure,
an interconnected system constantly affected by human action and
environmental factors, such as rain and wind. Confronted with its
unfamiliar elasticity, visitors instinctively engage with the
structure: testing its limits, composing games, or just watching
its gentle dance.

/Florian Idenburg & Jing Liu

Photo: Iwan BaanPhoto: Iwan Baan

The project consists of a 16×16 foot grid of 30 foot high poles
connected by bungee cords. Movement is controlled by the elasticity
of the cord and pivot of the pole. The grid accommodates a number
of activators, such as hammocks, pulls and mister-rings. These
leverage points are the interface between visitor and system. A
small local action ripples across the larger system. The gently
swaying columns broadcast these ripples over the courtyard walls to
the city and the world beyond.

An open net covers the entire field and controls the maximum
pivot of the poles. The net gives the space a sense of interiority
- amplifying the effect of movement - and supports a generous
number of brightly colored balls. The balls deflect the net, offer
shade, and give the appearance of a game whose rules need to be
invented. Near the center, the net drops down to accommodate a
pool. The horizontal roof plane is dimensional, but the form
remains an outline or wireframe. The entire structure
over-stretches a landscape of hammocks, misters, pools and plants:
a light, colorful environment in constant flux.

Photo: Iwan BaanPhoto: Iwan BaanPhoto: Iwan BaanPhoto: Iwan Baan

The framework creates a dynamic - deliberately indeterminate -
atmosphere. There is no baseline or reboot. With no end and no
result, the process becomes an incessant loop, a delicate construct
of transforming frames, offering an intensely uplifting experience.
It is our belief that such an environment re-engages the public
with the physical realm, triggering increased awareness and care
for the direct environment.

The small courtyard adjacent to the main space holds a surprise,
an immersive, interactive courtyard where visitors can create and
control a rich sound experience from within the installation. Eight
poles contain accelerometers - electronic devices that measure the
motion of the poles - connected to custom software that converts
motion into tones specifically composed for the installation.

Photo: Iwan Baan

In its passive state, sound is generated by wind moving the
network of poles and netting. As the space is populated, the
audience triggers tones by pushing, pulling or shaking the poles.
Rapid and shallow movements create locally oscillating tones, while
large, tilting movements create ripples of sound throughout the
courtyard as the network of connected poles are set in motion. The
installation enables up to eight participants to simultaneously
play the poles, transforming the structure into a multi-user
instrument.

An interactive iPhone app allows visitors to affect the quality
of sound for each pole in real time. By turning the effects levels
up or down the audience can collaboratively vote to change the
active sound of their environment. The application also collects
the movements of the interactive poles and visualizes the dynamic
activity and movement within the installation in real time.

The entire system is assembled of a readymade kit-of-parts. The
details allow for the system to be broken down without material
degradation. Most components will be repurposed after the
installation is closed.

Warm Up MoMAPS1's critically acclaimed music series has become
one of NYC's most anticipated summer events. The series is
housed within the architectural installation created by the winner
of the annual MoMAPS1 and MoMA organized Young Architects Program.
Together, the music, architecture and exhibition program provide a
unique multi-sensory experience for music fans, artists, and
families alike.